Bombing of La Villette

The Bombing of La Villette was a British Royal Air Force bombing raid on the slaughterhouse in the La Villette section of Paris, France, which was used as a German stronghold. Aided by the French Resistance, the RAF succeeded in destroying the German garrison.

History
Following the Battle of France and the fall of Paris to the Germans, the French Resistance cooperated with the British government, supplying targets to the Royal Air Force. One of these targets was the German garrison at the slaughterhouse in La Villette, Paris, which was also used as a prison.

In August 1940, resistance member Veronique Rousseau discovered that her friend Vittore Morini, a suspected rebel, was being held in La Villette, and resistance leader Luc Gaudin and Veronique's acquaintance Sean Devlin rushed to rescue Morini before the bombing raid happened. Devlin infiltrated the garrison while wearing a German uniform, and he managed to sneak inside of the slaughterhouse, beat down the guard, steal his key, and unlock the cell door. Gaudin then arrived to assist in their getaway, but, with the bombing raid imminent, the group of French Resistance members were forced to take refuge in the basement of the slaughterhouse. The bombing raid proceeded to destroy the German outpost and kill dozens of German soldiers, liberating La Villette of strong German military presence. The slaughterhouse was converted into a Resistance base, with the garage there being employed by Spanish Maquis member Juan Santos as a means to smuggle stolen cars.